Reinforced resilient sleeve type valve construction



May 29, 1956 M. H. GROVE 2,747,608

AREIINF'ORCED RESILIENT SLEEVE TYPE VALVE CONSTRUCTION May 22%,' 1956 M. H. GROVE 2,747,698

REINFORCED RESILIENT SLEEVE TYPE VALVE CONSTRUCTION Filed OC'.. 28, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. Marv/'f7 H. 6:/*0 vc TTOENE V5 United States Patent Ofi 2,747,608 Patented May 29, 1956V REINFORCED RESIDENT SLEEVE TYPE VALVE CNSTRUCTION Marvin Henry Grove, Piedmont, Calif., assignor to Grove Valve and Regulator Company, a corporation of California Application October 28, 1950, Serial No. 192,763

Claims. (Cl. 137-525) This invention relates generally to valves for controlling fluid ow, and to certain component parts of the same.

In Patent 2,353,143, granted July 11, 1944, there is disclosed a valve comprising a sleeve or tube formed of resilient rubber and adapted to seal about an inner core. The body of the valve provides a closed iluid chamber about the sleeve into which fluid under pressure can be introduced to control closing and opening movements under line pressure. As factory assembled, and without application of inow pressure, the tube is normally expanded a certain amount whereby it presses into sealed relation with the inner annular barrier. Under certain operating conditions the tube may take a permanent set so that it no longer contracts into sealing engagement with the barrier, whereby it is difficult if not impossible to obtain tight shutoif. This may be aggravated or brought about by such conditions as relatively high operating ternperatures, handling of fluids or liquids which tend to impair the ability of the rubber to recover after stretch, use of the valve with long full open periods, and use of special synthetic rubbers or like synthetic materials which are of such a character that they tend to cold flow.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved valve construction of the above character which will largely or entirely avoid the diiculties outlined above.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of the above character having means in conjunction with the resilient expansible tube which will insure contraction of the tube into sealed relation with the barrier.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved expansible tube construction for Valves of the above character, which is applicable to a wide variety of synthetic materials.

Additional objects of the invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiment has been set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, in quarter section, illustrating a valve incorporating the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of a modified expansible tube suitable for use in the valve of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail showing another embodiment for the expansible tube.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary View of another embodiment of the tube construction.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional detail taken along the line 5 5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional View like Figure 5 but illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 7 is a quarter section view illustrating another form of valve incorporating the invention.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view illustrating the expansible tube used in the valve of Figure 7, together with the spring means associated with the same.

The valve as illustrated in Figure l consists of a'valve body 10 which is formed to provide the inlet and outlet passages 11 and 12. The ends of the body can be provided with coupling flanges 13 and 14, or can be threaded or otherwise formed to facilitate coupling to associated piping` It is desirable to form the body in two parts 10a and 10b, which are secured together by the bolts 16. Within the body there is an expansible tube 17, formed of suitable resilient rubber, which is disposed about the inner core 18. The core 1S can be formed generally as illustrated in said Patent 2,353,143. Thus it consists of a barrier 19 which serves to provide the peripheral sealing surface 21. The barrier is connected to annular end portions 22 and 23, by the ribs or bars 24 an-d 26. These ribs or bars are spaced apart to form slots 27, Z8 for ow The section 10a of the body is formed to provide theV chamber or space 33 which extends about the expansible tube, and which is adapted to receive uid under pressure. This space is shown connected to the pipe 34 through the orifice 35.

In conjunction with the resilient tube 17, I provide metallic spring means tending to urge the tube into contracted and sealed relationship with the peripheral surface 21 of the barrier. The spring means ,illustrated in Figure 1 consists of a coiled spring wire 36 which is wound helically about the exterior of the tube as shown in Figure 2. wire about the tube in close juxtaposition, it is desirable to maintain a spacing between each convolution by providing the exterior of the tube with a helicoidal groove 37. The coiled wire is applied within the groove 37, with the terminals suitably anchored, and with tension being applied in the wrapping operation whereby the convolutions apply inwardly directed force upon the tube walls.

Instead of providing a helicoidal groove in the tube, a series of spaced circular grooves can be provided as shown in Figure 2, and a plurality of separate coiled spring wires 38 disposed in the individual grooves to apply inwardly. directed force.

With the construction shown in either Figure 1 or Figure 2, the spring means at all times applies inwardly directed force to the Walls of the tube 17, thus supplementing the natural tension of the rubber walls and tending to urge the tube into sealing engagement with the peripheral sealing surface 21. p

When operating a valve of this character. pipe 34 is connected to a source of controlling pressure through a suitable remote pilot valve. The controlling pressure may be taken from a pipe connection 41 with the inlet passage 12 of the valve. Assuming that inlet pressure is applied to the chamber 33, the tube 17 remains in sealed relation with the peripheral sealing surface 21 of the barrier 19. However when the pilot valve is operated to vent fluid from the chamber 33, inlet pressure appliedset and fail to properly shut off. Also with the present Y construction it is possible to use synthetic rubbers or like While it is possible to wrap the coiled u materials which mayV have desirable Vcharacteristics in resisting certain types of chemicals, but which maybe seriously subject to cold flow.

Instead of applying the spring means to the exterior of the-resilient tube, it is possible to form a bondv between Vthese parts as illustrated in FigureS. Thus inV this instance a plurality of coiled spring wires 42 are embedded in the wall of the rubber tube 43. Preferably tension is applied to the springs whereby they normally apply inwardly directed force. Y Y

n place of coiled spring wires it is possible to use spring means comprising wire bent into zig-zag form as illustrated in Figure 4. ln this instance the resilient rub- 'bei'V tube 44 is provided with a series of longitudinally spaced ribs 46,7between which are disposed the spring wires 47. It will be noted that the wires are bent to zig-zag form, Vand as applied to the tube'they are normally tensioned to apply inwardly directed force. The

. ribs 46 serve to prevent longitudinal displacement of the springV wires during exing movements of the tube.

"Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated'in Figure 6. In this instance a metal spring 48, formed of spring ywirebent toV zig-zag form, is embedded in the middle portion of the resilient rubber tube 49. When installed in the valve of Figure 1 the metal spring 4S generally embraces the peripheralV sealing surface 21,

thus continuously applying inwardly directed force to in- Y sure complete collapsing of the tuberunder shutoff con-V ditions.

The valve of Figure 1 is particularly adapted for remote operation, and as previously kmentioned the remote operation may serve to open and close the valve. It is also possible' to use such a valve withY diaphragm or pistonroperated pilot meansto provide automatic pressure reduction or back pressure regulation. ln addition it is possible to use such a valve for pressure relief, by applying a substantially constant fluid pressure to the chamber 33.

As illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 it is possible to apply the invention to a valve Ymaking use of an expansible. rubber tube, but which is particularly adapted for use- Vas a check valve to prevent back iiow through a piping system. Such a valve is illustrated for exampleY in Patent No. 2,621,889. Thus the valve can consist of a body 51 formed of the two sections 51a, 5117. The body provides inflow and outflow passages 52 and 503, and within the body there is a core 54 about which ilow'must occur.' A resilient rubber tube 56 embraces the core 54, and its one end is provided with a ange 57 which is clamped between the two body sections. y

TheVV tube 56 is provided with a Vrelatively thick wall portion 56a, a tapered wall portion 56h and a relatively thin pliable wall portion 56e, all as disclosed 'in the aforesaid patent. The thin wall portion is normally contracted upon a peripheral sealing surface 55, which is formed upon the core 54. The core is providedv with spaced lugs 58 which Vseat upon the bodysection 51a, and the other end of the core is engaged by the spaced lugs59 which are carried by the body section 51h.VV in addition a peripheral portion ofthe core (to the leftof the sealing surface 55 as viewed in Figure 7) is provided with circumferentially spaced ribs 61.V v

. in 'conjunctic'anV with the resilient rubber tube 56 I provide spring means in the form of a zig-zag spring wire 62 which surrounds the thin wall portion 56C substantially as illustrated. lf special retaining means were not employed, Vsuch a Yspring would be displaced from the tube toward the right Vas viewed in `Figure 7, upon expansion of the tube by applied uid pressure. As special retaining means the resilient tube. is provided with a groove 63 to accommodate the ring-shaped metal rod or wire 64.V Spring wires 65 are attached. to the rod at circumferentially spaced points, and Yextend through grooves 66 for attachment at 67 to the wire spring 62.. rihe arrangement illustrated. in Figures7 and 84 operates in substantially the same manner as the embodiments previously described with reference to Figures 1 to 6 i'n-Y clusive. The zig-zag wire spring 62 continuously applies inwardly directed force upon the thin wall portion 56C of the rubber tube, thus continuously urging the same.

toward sealing engagement Vwith the peripheralsealing surface 55. When inlet pressure is applied the tube is expanded to permit ow through the tubeand about the core. Under such conditions the wire spring 62 is expanded but retains its general position about the rubbarrier between the inliowv and outflow passages, the barrier having a peripheral sealing surface, a Vresilient tube surrounding the core, said tube having one. end

portion of the same sealed'to the body and havingiits other end portion disposed to surround the barrier, the. interior of the tube being exposed to the iniiow passage and the exterior of the tube being exposed to the outiiowV passage, a metalrspring disposed about said other end of the tube and serving to urge the tube into sealing er1- gagement with said peripheral sealing surface, said spring Vbeinguniformly yieldable in the direction of its length about the circumference of the tube, and means serving to retain said spring against displacement from the tube.

2. A valve construction as in' claim 1 in which said last means comprises members extending longitudinally of the tube and anchored to said one end of the same.

3'. VIn a valve construction, a body havinginow andY outflow passages, a core within the body forming a flow' barrier between the inliow and outiiow'passages, said p' barrier having a peripheral sealing surface, a tube formed of resilient material disposed within the body and surrounding the barrier, said tube having an annular wallV portion adapted to normally contract into sealing. engagement with the barrier to arrest flow of iiuid throughthe body, and spring means generally embracing the barrier and continuously applying inwardly directed force to said annular wall portion of the tube to urge the same into sealing engagement with the barrier, said spring means being in the form of a wire spring wrapped cireumfereni spring means is a spring wire bent to zig-.zagV form and wrapped about the tube.

5. A valve construction as in clann 3 in which both f ends of the tube are sealed with respect to the body andV said wall portion is intermediate the endsof the tube.

References (Iited in the tile of this patent UNTED STATES PATENTS 156,908 Brock Nov. 17, 1874 167,604 Chisholm v Sept. 14, 1875 Y 456,028 Foster July 14, 1891 512,832 Layden Jan. v1.6, 1894 V1,199,847 Wilkins Oct. 3, 1916 1,368,315 whgodsky Feb. 15,192.1 Y1,413,568 Bjornstad Y Apr. 25,. 1922Y c 1,730,150 Keith Oct. l., 1929 2,283,835 Weaver May 19, 1942 2,353,143 Y Bryant July 11, 19,44 2,382,427 Langdon Aug. 14, 1945 2,608,204 Dunn Aug. 26, 1952 2,621,889 Annin Dec. 16, 1952 p FOREIGN PATENTS 218,988 Germany Feb. 14, 1910 333,276 Germany Feb.Y 21, 1921 336,530. Y l Germany May 4, 192i 

